Gone are the days of the Internet when individuals were empowered. Now, governments and corporations hold the balance of power. The web is increasingly threatened by surveillance, censorship, propaganda and control and the Information Security Forum (a global, independent information security body) forecasts an even greater number of data breaches in the future. While governments are less afflicted by security breaches than the private sector, organizations and individuals are losing their way in a maze of uncertainty as they struggle with complex technology, a plethora of data and increased regulation. Cybersecurity is becoming a hot topic both on social media and in the news media.
“The goal of this book is to show how activities of states are making cyberspace a domain of conflict and therefore increasingly threatening the overall stability and security not only of the Internet but also of our very societies,” author Alexander Klimburg wrote.
We have little to no idea of what the worst case scenario of a cyber war might entail. However, a controversial inquiry into the effect of a large-scale electromagnetic pulse attack concluded that if most civilian electronics and the US power grid were “destroyed,” it could trigger a huge famine. A cyberattack designed to inflict maximum damage would not only switch off power, but also destroy parts of the power grid for prolonged periods of time, delete financial information, disrupt transportation, shut down the media and telecommunications network and also access the banking system, the air traffic control system and the rail management system. The worst possible cyber event may not be that the lights go out, but that we live in an environment that we can no longer control.
You can imagine a world where information, news, commercials and entertainment are programmed around you. You already experience this each time you use Google. The searches on Google are personalized. Google’s Gmail service scans your emails for keywords that can influence the advertisements that flash up on your screen.
To this day, civil society builds and maintains the Internet and develops computer protocols. On the other hand, the private sector plays an equally important role as it builds, owns and operates practically all of the physical aspects of the Internet.
We are now witnessing a confrontation between authoritarian regimes, who favor a state controlled model, and liberal democracies led by the United States, who are in favor of a free Internet. One of the biggest battles is how to keep personal information safe on the Internet.
Few people know the role played by the InfoSec community, known as “the community” in the book, a group of dedicated, brilliant computer technicians who attempt to keep the Internet safe. Fortuitously, a member of InfoSec community uncovered a fatal flaw in a fundamental protocol of the Internet — he discovered that he could impersonate any website in the world. In a remarkable example of altruism, he exposed this flaw to 16 experts and was thanked with a simple accolade. Thanks to such nonprofit organizations, not affiliated to any government, the Internet is a safer place. “Some of these informal groups of cyber defenders are highly-paid consultants working for free, sometimes university researches or experts in IT security companies, but also individuals in many of the world’s largest corporations whose efforts to safeguard their companies are critical, but remain unknown to their own boards,” writes Klimburg.
What is Internet governance?
The term “Internet governance” refers to the management of the world’s Internet resources that effectively power cyberspace. It encompasses cyberspace security, on one hand, and international cybersecurity on the other. There is an urgent need to address the possibility of state conflicts through cyberspace and avoid escalation and the inability to manage a crisis. Presently, two countries are leading the way. Russia and China are continuously on the offensive, they have taken the initiative and are creating political momentum.
Information warfare is a controversial topic that Western countries have largely chosen to ignore. However, Russia’s return to propaganda war has prompted Western governments to reopen discussions and the leaks on US intelligence released by Edward Snowden have had far-reaching implications on US cybersecurity.
“The threat of the information warfare narrative, with the overtones of ‘information is a weapon,’ is one of the most dangerous challenges facing democratic society as a whole for it threatens to make everything, including free speech and basic human rights, the battleground… At worst, it would mean not simply a loss of national prestige or a shattering of alliances, but even a fundamental weakening of democracy itself,” writes Klimburg.
Although Russia, China and the US dominate the international cyber landscape, since 2016, more than 30 countries are openly pursuing defensive as well as offensive capabilities in cyberspace. The US, Russia and Israel have some of the best “battlefield cyber” capabilities. However, Iran has followed an aggressive capabilities agenda “and has become one of the most worrying cyber actors in the eyes of many national governments, sometimes even ranked on threat assessments third after Russia and China,” writes Klimburg.
North Korea is another country that has superseded its basic technical abilities and launched damaging attacks. In 2009, North Korea disrupted the White House and the Pentagon’s public websites. Turkey has repeatedly blocked Twitter, Facebook and You Tube and India’s highest court has rejected some contentious legislation aimed at controlling social media activity while Brazil has produced a document that protects civil rights online. All this shows the importance the Internet has taken on the political stage.
Klimburg concludes on a positive note concerning the rise of clickbait-style, often unverified and untrue stories that spread like wildfire on the Internet, saying: “The ability of the civil society and news media in democratic societies everywhere to respond to the so-called ‘fake news phenomenon’ leaves me very hopeful that the technical vulnerability in the wider information ecosystem can be patched.”
Book Review: Exploring the dark underbelly of the World Wide Web
Book Review: Exploring the dark underbelly of the World Wide Web
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Planetary Climates’ by Andrew Ingersoll
This concise, sophisticated introduction to planetary climates explains the global physical and chemical processes that determine climate on any planet or major planetary satellite— from Mercury to Neptune and even large moons such as Saturn’s Titan.
Although the climates of other worlds are extremely diverse, the chemical and physical processes that shape their dynamics are the same.
As this book makes clear, the better we can understand how various planetary climates formed and evolved, the better we can understand Earth’s climate history and future.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Dragonflies of North America’
- “Dragonflies of North America” is the ultimate guide to these extraordinary insects
Author: ED LAM
Dragonflies are large and beautiful insects, diverse in color and pattern. This premier field guide provides all the information you need to identify every male and female dragonfly found in North America, whether in the field, in the hand, or under the microscope.
The extensive illustrations are the heart of the book. Close-up color portraits of each species, often several times life size, show the best possible specimens for close examination.
“Dragonflies of North America” is the ultimate guide to these extraordinary insects.
What We Are Reading Today: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
- Murakami’s prose, understated yet richly evocative, guides readers through a narrative that oscillates between the real and the surreal
Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami’s “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” is an intricate, mesmerizing novel that weaves together the ordinary and the surreal, creating a tapestry of existential questions, hidden truths and unexpected journeys.
First published in 1994, the novel is often regarded as one of Murakami’s masterpieces, encapsulating his signature blend of magical realism, psychological depth, and cultural introspection.
At its heart is Toru Okada, an unassuming and somewhat disaffected man whose mundane life takes a sudden and dramatic turn when his wife, Kumiko, disappears. What begins as a straightforward search evolves into a labyrinthine journey, leading Toru to confront not only the mystery of Kumiko’s absence but also the darker forces of history, memory, and his own psyche.
Along the way, he encounters an eclectic cast of characters, each with their own enigmatic role to play in the unfolding story.
Murakami’s prose, understated yet richly evocative, guides readers through a narrative that oscillates between the real and the surreal. The novel’s structure mirrors this duality, as Toru navigates his increasingly strange reality while descending into dreamlike underworlds, mysterious wells, and symbolic landscapes.
These moments are imbued with Murakami’s distinctive sense of unease, where the boundaries of the tangible and intangible blur, leaving the reader questioning the nature of reality itself.
One of the novel’s great strengths is its ability to juxtapose the deeply personal with the historically and culturally significant.
While Toru’s story is intimate and introspective, it is interwoven with threads of Japanese history, particularly the atrocities of the Second World War. These historical narratives, told through the recollections of various characters, deepen the novel’s scope, turning it into a meditation on the lingering wounds of the past and their impact on the present.
“The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” also delves into themes of connection and alienation, power and vulnerability, and the search for meaning in a world that often feels inexplicable. Toru’s journey is not just a physical quest but a spiritual and emotional odyssey, forcing him to confront the unseen forces that shape his life and the lives of those around him.
Murakami’s use of symbolism and recurring motifs — cats, wells, and the titular wind-up bird — adds layers of mystery and interpretive richness to the novel. These elements, coupled with the novel’s nonlinear structure and surreal interludes, create a reading experience that is both immersive and disorienting, drawing readers into a world that is as unsettling as it is beautiful.
For longtime fans of Murakami, “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” is quintessential, showcasing the author’s ability to blend the banal with the extraordinary. For new readers, it offers an expansive introduction to his universe, though its complexity may require patience and reflection.
Ultimately, “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” is a profound exploration of the human condition — its mysteries, its contradictions, and its quiet beauty. It is a novel that refuses to offer easy answers, instead inviting readers to embrace its ambiguities and immerse themselves in its layered, dreamlike world. Murakami has crafted a story that is as haunting as it is enlightening, leaving an indelible mark on those who dare to journey into its depths.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Galápagos’
Authors: John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin
Galápagos is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and profusely illustrated natural history of this spectacular archipelago.
Offering much more information than identification guides, the book provides detailed accounts and more than 650 color photographs of the islands’ habitats, marine life, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants, making the book a virtual nature tour of Galápagos.
Galápagos experts John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin have thoroughly revised the original text, bringing all the taxonomy up to date and adding a wealth of new information.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘A Well-Ordered Thing’ by Michael D. Gordon
Dmitrii Mendeleev (1834–1907) is a name we recognize, but perhaps only as the creator of the periodic table of elements.
Generally, little else has been known about him. “A Well-Ordered Thing” is an authoritative biography of Mendeleev that draws a multifaceted portrait of his life for the first time.
As Michael Gordin reveals, Mendeleev was not only a luminary in the history of science, he was also an astonishingly wide-ranging political and cultural figure.
